Budget Mustang coupe

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone i am new here, and the guy i bought my car from told me about this site. i have now (no pictures yet) a 1980 Mustang Coupe 200ci with a C4 trans, 7.5 rear. I have NEVER dealt with a non V8 car. I was wondering what are first steps to better performance? It already has no catylitic converters and a low restriction muffler (brand unknow looks like a glasspack). I would like to keep this car on a budget and be able to surprise a few hondas around town. here is a picture of my 1979 Coupe

Thanks Blake

 

[Asa]

first step, if it's possible, is to undo all of the emmisions crap for that year, these engines don't make much power stock, and the emissions seriously robbed them
i can't remember much of what was done to them, but the exhaust system was a serious hindrance, the ignition should be fine, possibly the addition of a MSD box, but the distributor and such are just fine stock

improve the breathing, www.fordsixparts.com makes headers for them, i'm not sure if they fit correctly in a fox body, there have been issues in the past

try wandering around, read the old posts, that should get you a good idea of what's needed

 

[Anonymous]

thanks man, i plan on removing all smog equipment, A/C and everything extra in the engine bay. moving the battery and starter solenoid to the rear. timing it( what should i set it at?). and i was going to port the stock intake but is it worth it?, i was also going to get 8mm wires and put in 3.73 gears. sound about right for a decently wuick 200ci

 

[Asa]

not sure if anyone has ever tried any porting of the stock intake, the only real way i think you could do it would be to drill out the log (that's one bad thing about having and integral intake manifold)

try searching for the Aussie 250-2V head, i think you'd like that alot more than the stock head
but, if you wanna get into fab work, you could chop the log off, then make a custom intake and do whatever you wanted

 

[Anonymous]

looks good for being a 4 eyes, those pony rims do look good on that car, i like it

 

[simon]

careful with gutting 70´s-80´s emission gizmos.

most of that hinders performance. true; but you may want to keep the PCV in place in any case, and don´t junk the air pump - not yet at least.

there´s always good use for a belt driven air pump if your car probably can´t pass fed. smog tests- get a free flowing cat and hook the air pump to the converter inlet, or somewhere between the header collector and cat inlet. Incredible how many unburnt hydrocarbons can be cracked up in a hot exhaust and catalytic converter just by adding a lot of fresh air. Other than that, you additionally thin out the overall numbers of carbonmonoxydes.
Avoid using the original air pump inlets on the manifold close to the exhaust ports - the injected air will distract the straight shots of exhaust gasses, rendering all scavenging useless.

compared to the V8´s, our stock sixes are undercarbureted.
If you plan on keeping the stock carb (or any 1-barrel carb), give it some help by smoothing out the insides and shaving that ugly brass vent tube reaching far into the choke horn. make sure the choke plate is exactly 90° open when your engine has warmed up.

If you have access to a good quality vacuum gauge, check all vacuum ports available on your engine and use the one with the strongest signal for your distributor vacuum advance. If you have a dual vacuum advance canister (I doubt it), with membranes for both advance and retard, unplug the rear.

If you really want to dig in, get yourself a couple of springs for the mechanical advance (there are recurve and respring kits available, though I´d suggest scrounging the junkyards). Try the lightests springs first, then test for the harder ones. You´re looing for maximum advance around 2.300-2.500 rpm, whatever is to your liking.

Take her to test drives. Ideally you flat foot the pedal in the highest gear. Way unrealistic for daily driving, perfect for determining where detonation starts. Advance dizzy until you experience slight pinging, then turn it back a hair. with 92 octane fuel that should be around 15-17degrees.

Careful with the numbers I stated- my mind is pretty fuzzy at times.
please correct me if necessary.

 

[Anonymous]

Never remove the PCV if a system exists and add one if it doesn't, helps to keep the inside of your engine clean and it doesn't hurt performance.

 

[Anonymous]

sleepercoupe, Show us a picture under the hood. We might be able to come up with more ideas if we see what you have. Maybe upgrade the log intake with an adapter and a two-barrel carby. A Transgo shift kit for your C4 would also provide some punch going through the gears.

 

[CobraSix]

Honestly...it can be cheap and easy:

Get a 2V carb and run a turbo. Turbos Turds are pretty nice, just look at does10s with a 250 running 10psi. 13.41@101MPH. A turbo can even be made to fit the existing stock exhaust manifold pretty easily.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for all the comments and advice. i am working on getting pistures up now. it already has the "hex" style intake log and a holley 1946 carb on it. i have no emissions in my state so i think i am going to remove all that, and the a/c. i always leave the pcv system because i agree that it keeps it clean and doesnt rob power. transgo shift kit is that bought at a local chain or sold through a catalog. this is also my first automatic car. i dont really want to spend a whole lot of money because i am going to go v8 with it in a year or so. (331 D.S.S.) to be exact, but would like it to run good for that year. thanks

blake

 

[Asa]

should be able to find a shift kit through any high performance magazine, Jegs, Summit, PAW, etc.

 

[MustangSix]

That is a neat coupe.

 

[Anonymous]

Transgo shift kit is that bought at a local chain or sold through a catalog. This is also my first automatic car.

As the muffin said the TransGo Performance shift kits can be bought anywhere. It will give you the hard-launching your looking for. This should be the one for an 80 Fox body Stang: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... 4DF0434%7D

I don’t really want to spend a whole lot of money because i am going to go v8 with it in a year or so.

Blake, Say it isn’t so… I guess you forgot where you were when you said it.

 

[Anonymous]

You could always fit somthing like this

 

[Anonymous]

im afraid to say so, sorry guys i know your true sixers, but i am shooting for 10's with a 331 stroker. i dont think i could do that very easily in a 200ci, but it will be a fun car, as long as the turbo kit i think i would do one on my 357 before the 200

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't touch a V8 with a long stick with a rubber glove on the end

http://www.fullboost.com.au/cars/featur ... n_pg1.html

 

[Asa]

I wouldn't touch a V8 with a long stick with a rubber glove on the end

http://www.fullboost.com.au/cars/featur ... n_pg1.html

Aside from 1400Nm early in the rev range, at just 3000rpm

that's somewhere around 1000 foot-pounds, isn't it?

 

[CobraSix]

im afraid to say so, sorry guys i know your true sixers, but i am shooting for 10's with a 331 stroker. i dont think i could do that very easily in a 200ci, but it will be a fun car, as long as the turbo kit i think i would do one on my 357 before the 200

sleeper, don't worry about offending us with these statements. We've all heard them before.

My motto about car performance is this: "It's not how fast you go...but how go you fast". Yes, a 331 stroker will be cheaper and easier to get 10secs out of. But guess what. Everyother magazine article in mustang magazines has that build up. At shows, they all look the same. Now go to show that has a 6 that can do 12-13s runs. That will draw a huge crowd because few have seen it and your are usually guaranteed to be unique. That is the essence of the "State of 6" "It's not how fast you go, but how go you fast"

IF, you are looking for max speed out of your car, no one here will deny that V8 is the way to go. If they say otherwise...well...I wave the BS flag on them.

However, if you want unique (since it sounds like you already hav a fast ca) car, a 6 may be the way to go. But it will be more challanging, harder, and more expensive.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

well what would i have to do to get my six to run a 13.9 or lower?

 

[Anonymous]

As previously stated:

First things first, read the articles in the Tech section: http://fordsix.com/services.htm
Read lots of posts here, and post your questions as well.
Get a shop manual for your car & Pick up the performance handbook: http://falconperformance.sundog.net/
Take a look and see whats available for the 200ci engine at Ford Six Performance Parts: http://www.fordsixparts.com/

Does10s has run a 13.41@101mph with a terbocharged set up http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=111198#111198 and he has plans for improvement. We'll convert you yet.